The Prince Wants to Retire

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The Crown Prince Wishes to Retire

51. The Unveiling of Roman’s Forces (3)

As a fortress was built in the middle between the Iron Wall and the Giant’s Fortress, the main forces of the Ignit Empire stopped their attacks and gathered around the newly constructed fortress.

At the same time, countries on the East Continent, excluding Roman, began to manage their occupied territories and establish fortresses in key locations.

This news was promptly conveyed to the Roman Emperor.

“Is it a long-term war?”

“It seems so.”

“So, they intend to wear us down.”

The emperor chuckled as he said this.

Roman had already grasped the tendencies of the Ignit Emperor.

A figure with wisdom and decisiveness beyond their years, perfectly inheriting the power of the First Emperor.

But that wasn’t all.

1. They likely had detailed information about dark mages and demons.

– It is highly probable they learned this from the Secret Guardians or information passed down to the emperor.

– It’s also possible they gained this information through some unknown power stemming from royal blood.

※ The Ignit Emperor likely receives intelligence from the summoned creatures they control.

2. They showed a strong inclination to minimize damage and preserve their forces.

– It is highly probable they are preparing for a war with demons.

– They are inclined to anticipate threats they are not aware of.

– They may even be willing to sacrifice themselves to reduce damage.

This was a rough overview of what Roman had gleaned about Kariel’s tendencies.

Once again, the intent to preserve forces was significant.

‘To what extent can the Ignit Emperor see?’

I was curious whether he was planning based solely on the future he envisioned or if he was looking beyond that.

One thing was certain: for every secret I hid, the Ignit Emperor had many secrets of his own.

‘I want to have at least one conversation face-to-face.’

As I pondered this, a smile crept onto my face.

“Your Majesty! It is reported that the Shadows of the Empire are attacking the northern region.”

As an attendant hurried in and bowed to report, the emperor calmly inquired.

“What about the demons?”

“They have already been discovered. It is estimated that many demons, including half-demons, have been killed by the Shadows.”

“The Demon Legion Commander must be furious.”

“……Yes.”

Roman’s emperor smiled faintly at this, causing the man who came to report to lower his head silently.

Seeing this, a robed man glanced at the emperor.

“It seems the Ignit side knows we can’t control the demons.”

The emperor burst into laughter at the robed man’s words.

The relationship between Roman and the demons was merely an alliance.

The Ignit Emperor seemed well aware of this.

“Is it the bloodline from Ignit? Or is it information passed down to them?”

A difficult decision to make without knowing that the demons are uncontrollable.

“The Demon Legion Commander is rampaging, claiming to wipe out the humans who attacked them. Orders!”

“He knows better than anyone that without him, the expansion of the Demon Gate will slow down. Yet he still rampages?”

“He insists it wouldn’t take long to wipe out a few humans.”

With one of the demon legion commanders having left to stop the Ignit Master, the expansion of the Demon Gate had already become exceedingly slow.

Should the remaining commander also leave, the time would be greatly delayed.

As work on the rapidly accelerating gate expansion came to a halt, it would take time to regain normal speed again.

Yet the stubbornness of the demon commander showed that demons prioritize instinct over reason.

“It is impossible.”

Roman’s emperor shook his head at the commander’s words.

It was true that there wouldn’t be any major issues if he returned within a few days. However, from his perspective, the demon commander did not seem likely to annihilate the Ignit Shadows in just a few days.

‘The Ignit Emperor would never have launched a half-hearted attack. He must have prepared for the possibility of a demon commander attacking.’

Though Roman’s emperor thought this, there was no way to control the demon commander.

“My thoughts differ, but… I doubt he will listen. You may handle it as you see fit.”

“……I will do my best to stop them.”

At the emperor’s words, the robed man quietly stood and exited.

A secret agreement made between Roman and the dark mages.

Because their actions violated the essence of that agreement, it might be possible to control the demon commander through careful words.

However, Roman’s emperor deemed the possibility of control to be low. Still, the reason he left it be was that he had room to spare.

“Your Majesty, is it alright to let things be as they are?”

An attendant, having arisen, watched Roman’s emperor.

The emperor smiled and replied.

“I could speak, but they’d only pretend to listen momentarily. In the end, they would act on their own.”

“However….”

“Number One, you worry too much.”

The man referred to as Number One bowed his head silently.

“How can you lead the Black Moon with such a mindset? You must learn to observe the situation calmly.”

“My apologies.”

The head of the Black Moon, known as Number One, bowed his head.

“If there are Shadows in Ignit, then there is the Black Moon in Roman.”

“Someday, we will have to clash with those Shadows. Will you be ready for it then?”

“I will strive harder.”

With gritted teeth, Number One responded to the emperor’s words.

This group directly under the emperor originated from Ignit. They felt the necessity of creating this organization after seeing the Shadows that Ignit worshipped and named it in contrast to the fire and sun that Ignit revered.

Thus, the Black Moon had a strong animosity towards the Shadows.

“I wonder if we might end up losing to the Shadows at this rate.”

“……With our current forces, we can certainly smash not only the Shadows but also their prized Secret Guardians.”

Seeing Number One show confidence, the emperor smiled broadly.

Famous for not speaking lies, Number One’s affirmation led the emperor to nod and say to him.

“Leave the demons to themselves.”

After all, demons were merely useful words to the emperor.

The Demon King would likely regard the Roman emperor in the same light.

Both viewed each other as tools to achieve their goals, an alliance that could rupture at any moment.

So, what did the emperor have faith in?

“……Contact the tribes. It seems it’s time to borrow ‘them’ for a bit.”

“Yes.”

Understanding what the emperor meant, Number One quietly departed.

Watching him leave, a smile appeared on the emperor’s lips.

“I’m quite curious about how the Ignit Emperor will react.”

He was eager to see Kariel’s response when ‘they’ appeared, hoping that day would come soon.

Having overcome numerous crises, that ‘one’ who had driven Roman to this point would surely understand the significance of their appearance on Roman soil.

The true war that Roman’s emperor envisioned would commence from that moment.

*

The Roman Emperor’s anticipation towards Kariel.

And Kariel’s wariness of the Roman Emperor.

Despite the recognition between the two emperors, the situation was rapidly intensifying.

“Roman, the puppet. The real ‘enemy’ is the dark mages and demons!”

“The Demon Legion Commander, once merely a figure in old tomes. Is the Demon King’s descent upon us?”

It took less than a week for the occurrences from the war to spread throughout the entire East Continent. However, a more serious matter was that the heated conflict had entered a lull.

Instead, all roads leading to Roman were blocked.

In that scenario, the demons began to rampage, starting to influence the entire border area of Roman.

“Isolated Roman. If things stay like this, it will perish.”

“Rampaging demons. The key to unlocking Roman’s blockade?”

Upon hearing this information spread to the capital of Ignit, Kariel chuckled.

“Well done.”

As Kariel praised the Shadows, Talion lowered his head slightly.

Blocking Roman was certainly effective, but it was not enough on its own.

Stopping the demons, the very reason this war had begun, was essential.

To that end, Kariel decided to provoke the demons. He sent the Shadows towards the Frigid Canyon to continually keep the demons and monsters in check.

Initially, it was only the Shadows involved, but now the Holy Knights were joining in for a full-scale operation against the demons.

“Establishment of the Great Demon Special Forces! ‘Demon Hunters.'”

It was precisely a special unit formed by Kariel, mixing Holy Knights, priests, and some Shadows to deal with the demons.

Moreover, they dispatched effective weapons against the demons, continuously pouring forces into the Frigid Canyon.

“What about the Demon Legion Commander?”

“He is rampaging in fury. Unable to find us, he has been indiscriminately killing the innocent people of Roman.”

“How dreadful….”

Kariel frowned at Talion’s report.

A powerful Demon Legion Commander, radiating strength even from the Giant Mountain Range, only killing the innocent was regrettable, but it could not be helped.

At this point, Roman was the enemy, and thus the innocents were merely Ignit’s foes as well.

“What are the demons doing?”

“Some are attempting to dig traps to bait our special forces.”

“It seems they are starting to take us seriously.”

Initially, the damage was insignificant.

Just a few lower demons or dozens of monsters would deliberately be killed and then retreat.

From the demons’ perspective, they were occupied elsewhere, so the insignificant losses were easily disregarded.

But what would happen if this repetitive cycle continued, and especially if it occurred in multiple locations?

The damages would accumulate to the point of being non-negligible.

Finally, the demons had reached their breaking point.

“Have the children all evacuated?”

“Yes. Given the current situation, it’s highly likely the Demon Legion Commander will personally come to the Frigid Canyon.”

“It seems that impatient little bull has held back for long enough.”

The Demon Legion Commander, with bull horns, was someone familiar to Kariel from a past life, so he understood him well.

A strong force who only earned their place through sheer power, yet was utterly foolish. Once an enemy was in sight, they would charge without a second thought.

“Don’t take unnecessary risks trying to gather more information. Just pull everyone out completely.”

“Understood.”

At Kariel’s command, Talion nodded and prepared to leave.

Having been ruthlessly beaten so far, the demons and monsters had even begun setting traps near the Frigid Canyon, making it about time to withdraw.

When it comes to excess, it’s often worse than a shortage.

The targeted objectives were thoroughly fulfilled, and thus it was wiser to completely withdraw the forces for redeployment elsewhere.

“I wonder what kind of reaction the dumb little bull will have.”

The ones bothering them had disappeared without a trace.

With an impulsive warrior like him, losing his target to vent his frustration should provoke quite a response.

“Most likely, he will turn north.”

Kariel muttered to himself, smiling gleefully.

The moment the Demon Legion Commander crossed the border of Roman, it would be Ignit’s chance to interfere in the north of the East Continent.

Completed would be the scenario in which Roman was besieged by demons from all sides.

“Alright! Let’s see what the remaining piece can show us!”

Thus, Kariel lightly poked at the Roman capital drawn on the map.